Andhra Pradesh situation worsens as Covid infection surges

Vijayawada: There seems to be no let-up in surge of coronavirus cases in Andhra Pradesh as 45 new confirmed infections and the death of a Covid-19 patient were reported on Thursday.

The health department said that the state had 718 active cases and 1,680 patients were discharged out of a total of 2,452. A Covid-19 patient from East Godavari reportedly lost his life to the disease, taking the death toll to 55.

Among new confirmed infections, four cases with two each from Chittoor and Nellore, were all returnees from Koyembedu in Tamil Nadu.

The health department reported that of the total positive cases, 153 cumulative positive cases were people from other states like Odisha 10, Maharashtra 101, Gujarat 26, Karnataka 1, West Bengal 1, Rajasthan 11 and Tamil Nadu 3. Of them, 128 are active cases at present.

Nellore district reported 18 new Covid-19 cases taking total cases to 201. Of these new cases, 12 were from Sullurpeta while the remaining were from Araveedu, Sangam and Usman Sahebpeta in Nellore.

East Godavari registered the first death of a Covid-19 patient on Wednesday. A 53-year-old man from Gollalamamidada village, Pedapudi mandal, who used to work as a clerk in a local hotel and also as a photographer, with no recent travel history, died of the virus.

Sources said that he was a diabetic and suffered from fever and respiratory problems in the last four days. On Wednesday afternoon, he was admitted to a government hospital at Kakinada with serious respiratory problems and died within 40 minutes of his admission.

District medical and health officer, Dr. B. Satya Suseela, said that soon after his admission, his swab samples were collected and sent for testing, and by the time his test results tested positive for the virus, he breathed his last.

Government hospital authorities said that doctors and nurses who treated the man were sent to quarantine.

Pedapudi tahsildar, K. Rajya Lakshmi, said that the man had not taken any treatment at any hospital in the mandal and added that his funeral was performed with Covid-19 protocol at his native village and only two persons were allowed to attend it.

Health personnel collected swab samples of 16 contacts of the deceased and sent them for testing. The police are finding out his contact history while the officials are clueless so far on the source of his infection.

The district administration declared Gollalamamidada a red zone and strict curbs were imposed on the movement of people.

In a separate development, a 23-year-old youth from Suryanagar at Amalapuram tested positive for Covid-19. He arrived at his hometown from Mumbai two days ago and volunteered to go to a quarantine centre at BVC College at Bhatlapalem.

When the health personnel collected his sample and tested it, he was found to be Covid-19 positive.

Amalapuram revenue divisional officer, B. Bhavani Sankar, said that the youth was sent to the Covid-19 hospital at Rajanagaram for treatment and added that 15 of his contacts were tested and found negative. Following this, the red zone area at Bandarulanka has been reduced to 200 meters.